The 68th Hunger Games
by KatelenaThorn
Summary: It is the Hunger Games in district 11. Arri is sent in to the arena to fight to the death in a frozen, snowy wast land. She is small, skinny and only 14. But with a little bit of help from Sky, a 16 year old who is from district 7, now her ally, she might be able to make it. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1** **REAPING DAY**

It is the reaping of the 70th annual Hunger Games in district 11. I think as I lie in bed. That means dressing in my best clothes and fixing my hair, taking a bath, and pretending that I am Just fine, and not worried. If I worry, Rodny will to.

I don't want to worry Rodny. There is no way he would be reaped, he is only 10. But I am 14, and could be sent to fight to the death in a huge outdoor arena full of traps, and mutated man-killing animals, and lots of other creative ways to kill me. I try to swallow the lump that is forming in my throat as I think about being throne into the arena.

I wonder if someday they will runout of ideas for the Hunger Games. Maybe some day they will have made all the arenas they can. Someday there will be no more creative ways to kill children, they will have thought of them all, used every element in nature and there will be no new arena, and the capitol will get bored and they will have to stop the games.

I realize that this would take years and years and years to happen. I role out of my small sweat-covered cot and head to the bathroom. I use the toilet and start to wash my hands. The water is lukewarm as always and gives no relief to my sweaty fingers.

I comb out my greasy hair and pull it back in a pony tail, as I stair at myself in our shabby mirror. I have long, dark, dusty hair, and haizel eyes with long eyelashes, and full dark lips that are chapped and flaky. I brush my big teeth with a rag and some soup.

I head to the living room for something to eat and drink before I bathe. My mother is at the table handing a piece of flat tasteless bread to Rodney and breast feeding our little sister, Carla. "Hi Arri!" Says Rodney. "Good morning." I reply. I situate my boney frame onto an old wooden dinning chair.

Our house has only four rooms. The living room, the very small kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom. We all sleep in the same room, me, mom, Rodney, and Carla that is. But thats how most people around here live, some with evan bigger families, like our neighbors, the Rodds. They have six children, and the same size house as us. They have a daughter that's the same age as me, She is my best friend, her name is Lacy.

When we are done with breakfast my mother tells Rodney and I to get cleaned up and that she had our "nice" clothes waiting for us. we don't have a tub, so we wash our hair in a bucket and then scrub ourselves down with a soupy rag, and more water. I go first.

When I'm done, my mother fixes my hair in a bun and I put on my only dress, a light green dress, plain, the color of spring. I would not mind this dress, like it evan, but it reminds me of the games to much. Mom puts Rodney in a white button-up shirt tucked it in to tan shorts with some nice sandals. Rodney and Carla look like my mother. They have reddish brown hair and green eyes. I look like my father. The only thing that I have on my face that is her's, are the freckles that sprinkle my nose and cheeks.

I never speak of my father. What happened to him is unspeakable. The freak plowing accident happened just last year, six people died, one being my father.

I take a deep breath, trying not to let the memory get the best of me. My mom puts on a plain brown dress, wraps Carla in a light faded blue blanket, and we head for the searing hot square. I see Lacy's flash of dark hair and yellow dress as she pushes her way towered me from out of the crowd. We find each other and I brush my fingers over Rodney's hair and look meaningly into my mother's eyes before we dash off to find the younger kids line hand in hand for the reaping.

When we reach the line I slide Lacy's head band the right way so that her yellow bow is facing me. We stand in silents as we watch the peace keepers standing all around us. I close my eyes and hold Lacy's hand, as I wait in horror for the reaping to begin. I open my eyes when I hear Letty Brotch's surprisingly deep voice boom out to all of us. Letty is a capital woman with purple skin, green and red gems implanted into her shoulders.

It is a dicusting site to behold each year. She is alway wearing weird clothing as capital people often do. This year she is wearing a puffy orange dress that exposes her shoulder gems and most of her legs, and fluff orange high-heels that show off her pink toe nails, and to top it off, her hair is in short neon pink ringlets to mach her toe nails and lip stick.

I hate the capital. I hate the people in the capital. I hate the way they watch us starve and do nothing, the way they cheer when we die in the games. I hate them so much it scares me.

I don't listen to the speeches, I don't care about the victors that walk on stage, I just want this to be over. Letty walks up to the huge glass bowls that have a million names in them. The one on the left is marked "boys" and the one on the right is marked "girls". "Ladies first as always." Letty says with a wide neon pink smile. She reaches into the huge glass bowl, and pulls out a name happily.

She opens up the paper and everyone holds there breath. "Arri Redflame!" My name. She called my name.


	2. Chapter 2 saying goodbye

**CHAPTER 2: SAYING GOODBYE**

I walk slowly up to the stage. My legs feel heavy. When they called out my name Lacy gasped and said, "It can't be true!" She said it so quietly, I almost didn't here her. Now here I am walking up the steps to the stage. I feel eyes watching me, but I ignore them. I keep my head up and my face emotionless, evan though my heart is trying to leap from my chest.

For the first time I'm glad dad isn't here, to watch his daughter walk to her death. I'm glad. When I reach the stage and take my place next to Letty, I carefully evan out the creases of my dress, trying to stay calm.

Letty smiles her pink smile and booms out, "Do we have any volunteers?" Silents. I am alone. I am all alone.

I stair strait forward. I don't want to see my family's pained faces. I am trying so hard not to let any emotion show, and I am sure that seeing my mother cry, her mouth dragged down at the corners, and her chin wobbling, would make me burst into sobs.

I take a deep breath and wait to hear who will be joining me in these horrible, twisted games. Letty draws the next name from the boy's bowl and says far to loudly, far to close to the microphone, "Wilfred Makintosh!" I don't know him. He looks shocked. He has darker skin and poop green eyes. I smile a little at that thought. I hope nobody saw me smile, I must look crazy.

As the boy walks slowly to the stage I regain my poker face. The sun is so hot. I have never lived in a place with snowy winters. Sometimes I wish I did.

I don't really know what happens next, but I feel dizzy. The next thing I know I'm in the justice building. I rub the red soft chair I'm sitting in as I wait for my family and friends to say goodbye.

I don't have many friends, not that I'm not good at making friends, I can get along with just about everyone. It's just that when you have a really good friend like Lacy, you don't really need anyone else.

My mother and siblings burst in. My mother hugs my almost to tight, but I embrace her anyway. When she pulls away she is not teary. She has never ever been a teary person.

"Now listen to me," She says. "I love you, and no matter what happens I will always be with you. You will always have me. If you don't come back..." Her voice brakes. "I want you to know I will be thinking of you always, and I will smile because I know that no matter how little of time I have with you, it will be a gift. You are more than I could have asked for." She puts her hands on my face and wipes away my hot, sticky tears with her fingers.

Rodney crawls on to my chair and lays his head on my lap. "Be carful." Is all he says. My dress drinks up his tears and the warm salty stuff oozes on to my legs. My mother places Carla in my open arms, and she plays with my hair. "I love you all." I say.

That is all that I get to say to my family before the peacekeepers come to usher them away. The last I see of them is Carla's chubby hand waving goodbye. She dose not know what is going to happen to me, she most likely thinks I am just spending the day at Lacy's house, or working in a different field than my mother today. The thought makes a huge lump in my throat, that I don't think I can swallow.

I rub my eyes and straiten as I wait for the next person to come bursting through the door. The door opens right after this thought passes through my mind, but the door dose not open hugely as it did when my family came in, who ever is on the other side opens the door carefully. I see a flash of yellow dress, and than feet encased in cream colored dress shoes, it is Lacy. Who els did I expect? She walks swiftly, but not carelessly, over to my side, sitting gracefully on the couch next to me.

I have to admit to myself that I have always envied my best friend for her grace and carefulness. The way she writs, the way she walks, the way plucks ripe fruit from a branch. Every thing she dose, she dose with caring, knowing hands and movements.

I have always been the reckless one. The one to mess up, or speak without thinking. Always losing my temper and getting red in the face. I would often get in fights at school, sometimes with boys, and I was always the one to hit first. Lacy has never hit any one in her life. Some times it makes me ashamed that it is so easy for her to keep an evan head, and I seem to explode at the drop of a hat.

She dose not say anything at first, only holds my hand and leans her head on my shoulder. We sit in silents for a while but than she moves away from me and speaks. "I want you to take this in to the arena with you." She says, untying her yellow head ribbon. She hands it to me gently, and I take it without looking her in the face. "Thank you." I say weakly. "I'll miss you." She says softly. "Do you have any faith in me at all?" I say, trying to lighten the mood just a little. She is also starting to cry, and I do not like it when she cries.

She smiles a little bit. "Try your very hardest, okay?" She says. "You know I'm not going to die without a really good fight." I say. at the word "die" I feel a strange swoosh go through my belly. We hug because there are no words to be said. We never keep secrets, so there is nothing I should say that I have been keeping from her.

When she leaves no one els will come through that door to say goodbye to me. I am on my own now.


End file.
